Heavy fog smothered north and east China on Monday, closing highways and affecting dozens of flights.

The fog caused the closure of all 10 highways in the northern port city of Tianjin on Monday and the cancellation of all flights, according to local traffic authorities.

The Tianjin-Shenyang highway opened at 17:00.

Visibility was reported to be as low as 10 meters in Tianjin. The fog also caused some pollution in the city.

Cold air on Tuesday morning would dissipate the fog, said the local meteorological observatory.

Heavy fog in Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu Province on Monday caused the cancellation of 171 flights, stranding thousands of tourists at the airport.

The fog has closed dozens of stretches of highway in and around Nanjing since Sunday night, according to local traffic authorities.

The fog will continue to blanket the region on Tuesday, said the local meteorological department.

Heavy fog also closed highways in central China's Henan Province, east China's Anhui Province and northwestern China's Shaanxi Province on Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency December 26, 2006)